Renfroe, Lucchesi aid Padres in 5-4 win over Nationals
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run homer and left-hander Joey Lucchesi settled down after falling behind 4-0 in the first inning to help the San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Thursday night.
The Padres snapped the Nationals’ four-game winning streak and welcomed back prized rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who missed 34 games with a strained left hamstring. The 20-year-old Tatis singled in the fifth and scored the second of three Padres runs that gave San Diego the lead.
Lucchesi (5-3) won on his 25th birthday. He allowed four runs and four hits on 95 pitches in five innings. He struck out five and walked three. Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for big league-leading 23rd save. The Padres retired the last 20 Nationals batters.
Washington lefty Patrick Corbin (5-4) threw 101 pitches in five innings, allowing five runs — three earned — on five hits. He struck out six and walked five.
Lucchesi gave up Howie Kendrick‘s two-run single followed by Brian Dozier‘s two-run homer with two outs in the first. It was Dozier’s ninth. Lucchesi threw 64 pitches through two innings and 79 through three but didn’t allow any more runs. He ended his night with a perfect fourth and fifth.
Renfroe started San Diego’s comeback with a home run to right-center in the second, his 18th.
The Padres went ahead in the messy fifth, when an error by third baseman Anthony Rendon led to two unearned runs. San Diego loaded the bases for Manny Machado, whose grounder brought in Manuel Margot. Rendon couldn’t handle shortstop Trea Turner‘s throw, allowing Tatis to score the tying run. Franmil Reyes followed with a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
UP NEXT
Nationals: RHP Erick Fedde (1-0, 2.55 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night. He threw four innings of two-hit shutout relief against the Padres on April 28 at Nationals Park.
Padres: Rookie LHP Nick Margevicius (2-6, 5.40) is 0-3 with an 11.25 ERA in his last three starts. He allowed five runs — four earned — and six hits in three-plus innings of a 9-3 loss to Miami on Saturday night.
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